text:
The Ed Show for Tuesday, December 21st, 2010
Read the transcript to the Tuesday show
Guests: Sherrod Brown, Joe Sestak, Joe Crowley, Reverend Al Sharpton, Karen
Hunter, Tony Blankley, Joan Walsh, Arlen Specter
ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC ANCHOR: Good evening, Americans, and welcome to THE ED SHOW tonight, live from Minneapolis.
These stories are hitting "My Hot Buttons" at this hour.
A political threat to start the holiday season. Mitch McConnell says Republicans will work with President Obama, but only when the president does exactly what they want. So, how does that square with this No Labels group in Washington?
My commentary on that, plus reaction from Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Congressman Joe Sestak coming up.
The 9/11 first responders went to Washington today and put the heartless Senate Republicans to shame. This was powerful, and everyone needs to hear it. I will play it for you, coming up.
And Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is trying to walk back his glowing review of pro-segregation groups in the South. Reverend Al Sharpton has something to say to the governor about that at the bottom of the hour.
And outgoing Senator Arlen Specter, his amazing chop block on some of his Senate colleagues. This is a senator who really is concerned about what has happened in the institution of the Senate that he so clearly loves.
Senator Specter will join us in "The Playbook" tonight. Just why did he do that on his last day in the Senate?
And this is the story that has me fired up tonight, folks.
President Obama is on the verge of another major victory in the waning days of the lame-duck session of the Congress. The START treaty will get an up-or-down vote as early as tomorrow, Wednesday. A few Republican senators drifted across the aisle to help move the vote forward.
But, folks, don't kid yourselves. The Republicans are still out there to destroy President Obama and the Democratic Party and the progressive movement in this country.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell issued this year's—this new year's threat to the Democrats: "There's much for them to be angst-ridden about. If they think it's bad now, wait until next year."
Gosh, Mitch, why don't you put coal in their stocking right away?
McConnell has been acting like Vito Corleone ever since the midterms. First, he bragged that he wanted to make President Obama a one-termer. And then, of course, he held Americans hostage on the tax cuts.
McConnell has just doubled down against the president, saying this:
"Any time the president is willing to do what we think is in the best interests of the American people, we have something to talk about."
OK, Mitch. I guess you're going to be making us an offer that we just can't refuse.
Well, you know, I think liberals tonight are saying, you know, how do you deal with these people? There is no reasoning with these folks, because the only thing that they understand is power.
Senator Arlen Specter took to the Senate floor to say good-bye and to tear into the mess Republicans have made of the Senate.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (D), PENNSYLVANIA: In some quarters, "compromise" has become a dirty word. Senators insist on ideological (INAUDIBLE) as a precondition. Politics is no longer the art of the possible when senators are intransigent in their positions.
SCHULTZ: Specter is exactly right. Republicans have turned "compromise" into a dirty word.
Remember John Boehner in his most recent interview? He couldn't even use the word.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER ®, MINORITY LEADER: I am not going to compromise on my principles, nor am I going to compromise the will of the American people.
SCHULTZ: Anything else need to be said?
Republicans have turned American politics into a never-ending attack machine. The crazier they get, the meaner they get, they think the better off they are. This leaves the Democrats with a choice. Now, Democrats and liberals can either roll over and play dead, or they can fight fire with fire.
Now, the new Washington group No Labels, here they come to the rescue.
They want Democrats to lay down and play nice with these Republicans.
Folks, we are living in really tough political times. We are in an ideological fight for the country right now. We either want to reserve the institutions that made this country great or we want to go off and worship the God Almighty dollar.
Let me tell you about these absolutes. I think this No Labels group in Washington is a joke.
I don't think they are connected to political reality of the time. And it's easy to get on cable and talk about how we are going to get everybody to play together on this, but here's the absolute.
They are absolute on the right wing about their tax cuts. They are absolutely going to try to repeal health care reform, which is going to hurt millions of Americans. They are absolutely going to attack labor like they have been doing for the last 25 years. They absolutely are going to go after and support the union busters.
And, of course, they love this most recent ruling by the Supreme Court of unlimited funds going into campaigns. And, of course, the little guy is going to have his voice squashed out in America's democracy.
So, you No Labelers out there, can we carol together this holiday season? I don't think so. I don't want to get along with you.
I think you are wrong, and I think you are naive. And I think we need debate in this country.
And I think that we can go back to just a few weeks before the start of the Iraq War, our invasion, when Robert Byrd stood up on the Senate floor and said, "This chamber is ominously silent."
We went into war, and you know the rest of the story. There was no debate. We bought everything hook, line and sinker.
So, I think this No Labels group wants to just wear down liberals in this country and say, you know, you're angry. You know, you're off the rails, you're out of line, you're over the top.
Wait a minute. Because I'm for Social Security, and because I think I have an audience that watches, that believes in the institutions of America, just because I support that and universal health care, and I think the rich should pay their fair share, doesn't mean that I'm out of touch. And it doesn't mean that me associating with the No Labels crowd is going to preserve all those great institutions in this country.
The ideological fight for America is on. This president has had a great first two years, far better than your good buddy Ronald Reagan, over there on the right. Far more legislative accomplishments affecting more people's lives.
And you know what really gets you Republicans? You've got your tax cuts. In fact, you got everything you wanted.
President Obama has delivered the mail time and time again. He may not have taken the path that we like, and maybe he hoodwinked a few of us along the way, but you cannot—you cannot argue with this lame-duck session of the Congress, and you cannot argue with the historical perspective of the performance of this Senate the way they have obstructed at a record number of filibusters.
So if the No Labels folks want to call Ed and be on the program, when it comes to understanding, as Clint Eastwood said in his movie, "I'm fresh out."
Tell me what you think in our telephone survey. The number to dial tonight is 1-877-ED-MSNBC.
My question tonight is: Do you think the number one priority for the Republicans is to defeat President Obama in 2012? Press the number 1 for yes, press the number 2 for no. And I'll bring you the results later on in the show.
Joining me now is Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown.
Senator, good to have you with us tonight.
SEN. SHERROD BROWN (D), OHIO: Good to be back, Ed. Nice article about you by Howard Kurtz today, man. You are my hero.
SCHULTZ: We've got to tell it like it is, Senator. We can't back down. Thank you.
BROWN: I like that story about the—I like the story about the homeless shelter, Ed, but go on. Sorry. Great story.
SCHULTZ: Well, it's the truth. Thank you. I appreciate that, sir.
BROWN: It tells me something about the kind of person you are.
SCHULTZ: Well, and I think from the record of what we've seen of Mitch McConnell here in his most recent comments, after you compromised and you voted with the president and a lot of Republicans, this is what you get from Mitch. He is putting out a political threat in this holiday season, saying you better work with them again, or next year is going to be worse.
How do you feel about that?
BROWN: Well, I feel the same way I do when I hear Mitch McConnell say that his number one goal is that Barack Obama be a one-term president. I mean, he has voted against almost everything.
He has tried to block the START treaty. I think he is going to lose on that.
He tried block "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." He did lose on that.
He tried to block the DREAM Act. Unfortunately, he won on that.
But it's clear to me that this guy, no surprise, his major goal is for Barack Obama to fail. And he tried block unemployment benefits. I mean, all the things that—it is not just the stuff Democrats care about, it's stuff that a large swath of the American people, the great majority of Americans, care about things like this.
They wanted "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repealed. They wanted unemployment benefits. They want the START treaty, as does the entire establishment that knows these issues—former secretaries of state, all that.
So, pretty clearly, his view is that if he blocks everything, Republicans win, even if he is blocking what the American people want. Because people haven't really quite figured out what this guy is about and what their strategy is about.
It's up to us. It's up to you on this show. It's up to senators and congressmen and activists to make sure the public gets it, what this guy is doing, because he is going to try to do it for the next two years. And it's going to be a real clear choice, whose side are you on in 2012, and we've got to convince the public what this guy is doing and what we stand for.
SCHULTZ: Senator, do you have any hope at all for the No Labels group that wants to bring Republicans and Democrats together in Washington in this political climate? Is that possible, in your opinion?
BROWN: Well, I would think it's possible if I would see Republicans compromise occasionally.
You know, there's no—somebody pointed out a couple of things. One is, the Republican—the Democrats keep moving to the center and the Republicans keep moving to the center. I mean, that really is what happens. So why do we keep moving to the center?
The other thing is there are no real, with maybe the exception of two or three, there are no real moderates in the Republican Party. They are all way over here. I guess to your viewers, they are way over here.
And the Democrats have people sort of in the whole spectrum. I mean, there are moderate Democrats, there are progressive Democrats. There are even some conservative Democrats.
So Republicans are way out on your right wing here where they don't compromise, they are scared of their base. Clearly, you watch these votes, they are scared of being criticized by—they are scared of primaries.
I mean, Dick Lugar showed great courage by being for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and—I'm sorry, yes, supporting "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"—or no, he supported the DREAM act, I'm sorry. By supporting the DREAM Act and by supporting START. And this is probably going to hurt him in Indiana with somebody like me admiring his courage, because the right wing is probably going to come after him, because they tolerate --
SCHULTZ: Sure they will.
BROWN: -- no dissent. And that scares most of these guys that don't have as much guts as Dick Lugar, are just moving to the right, moving to the right, because they are scared.
And so, you know, that makes this more dysfunctional. But in the end, it comes back to us showing what we stand for, in making that contrast, and whose side are you on?
SCHULTZ: Senator, good to have you with us tonight. I appreciate your time on this subject.
BROWN: Thanks, Ed.
SCHULTZ: And we are hopeful for something positive to take place with this next session of Congress.
BROWN: Well, I'm optimistic for the next two years. I appreciate that.
SCHULTZ: Thank you. Thank you very much.
BROWN: Thanks.
SCHULTZ: Congressman Joe Sestak, Pennsylvania, joins us. He was invited to be the featured speaker at the No Labels launching ceremony.
Congressman, your thoughts on No Labels? I mean, the Republicans don't act like they are really looking to compromise on anything. It's their way or the highway. So are you hopeful for this group?
REP. JOE SESTAK (D), PENNSYLVANIA: I don't know how the group is going to end up, but I heard what Mr. Boehner said, and you played it. He said he wouldn't compromise his principles.
I don't think anybody should. But I do think there should be a principled compromise. Let me give you an example, what I think should be done.
Senator Kennedy, I don't think you could have a more progressive senator than that. But he was able to effect, with Senator McCain and later on, President Bush, pretty conservative guys, a principled compromise on immigration, and actually would have put behind us a problem that still sits there.
Now, my point is this, is what I told No Labels. It isn't enough to say you are going to try to reach across the aisle.
What I look at with disdain in Washington, D.C., is once they brought that principled compromise in, nobody would touch it in either party because, heaven forbid, if it affected your base all the way. And I feel that that lack of accountability, Ed, is what most troubles our nation.
People aren't willing to lose their job over a health care bill. They are not willing to lose their job over doing what's right in a principled, compromised way.
SCHULTZ: But the bottom line here is, Congressman, is that this country wasn't built on people who were political fence-riders. This country was built by strong personalities who took a stand that fought for people. And this No Labels is, in my opinion, no progress.
Your response?
SESTAK: No, I don't know where No Labels is going to go, but I do know this—I come from the U.S. military, Ed, and you know that. And in there, it's all ideas are on the table. And at the end of the day, you do what's right.
Look, I came down here as a Democrat. And you know me. I didn't compromise in either my primary or my general elections—
SCHULTZ: No, you didn't.
SESTAK: -- on one position. But I was willing in my district, which is 53 percent Republican, 33 percent Democrat, to let them know I understood their concerns.
In fact, after spending $3.5 million in my first election, we only spent $28,000 in my second election. And my point is this—it's Hatfields and McCoys here.
Now, do I believe that progress needs to be made, and that often, it's the progressive movement that does it? Sure. Think about it.
SCHULTZ: Yes.
SESTAK: It did it from freedom to suffrage to civil rights to equality. Let's take "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." But there's a way, I think, to effect it.
It means bitter debate. Don't bend your principles. But I think like Ted Kennedy did on education with George Bush, you can get principled compromise.
And I think in the meantime, what's happened is—
SCHULTZ: Congressman, good to have you with us tonight.
SESTAK: -- we're not moving forward. Thank you.
SCHULTZ: No, we're not.
Congressman, great to have you on. Thanks so much. I appreciate your time tonight.
SESTAK: Always a pleasure, Ed.
SCHULTZ: Coming up, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is trying to walk back his shocking racist comments. Reverend Al Sharpton won't let him get away with it. He sounds off in "The Battleground" story tonight.
Heartless Republican senators are blocking health care for 9/11 heroes. When it comes to tax cuts, well, that cost doesn't seem to bother them, but helping the heroes is another story. Republicans at their worst, coming up.
Plus, Senator Arlen Specter goes without a bang today. He joins me live in "The Playbook."
You're watching THE ED SHOW on MSNBC. Stay with us.
SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW, and thanks for watching tonight.
The Republicans in the Senate have come up with yet another excuse not to help heroes of 9/11. For all the stunts that they have pulled the past two years, I still can't believe that we are in a place in this country where the Republicans are playing politics with the health of those men and women who raced to Ground Zero to save fellow Americans after the terrorist attack took place.
The Republicans love to wrap themselves in the flag come election time, don't they? But they just don't give a damn about the first responders bill and, you know, an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. Why is it taking so long?
The latest excuse comes from Oklahoma Republican Senator Tom Coburn, who is blocking the bill because he doesn't like the process.
SEN. TOM COBURN ®, OKLAHOMA: This bill hasn't even been through a committee. We haven't had the debate in our committee on this bill to know if it is the best thing to do. We haven't had the testimony to know whether—this is a bill that has been drawn up and forced through Congress at the end of the year on a basis to solve a problem that we didn't have time to solve and we didn't get done.
SCHULTZ: Senator, were you living underneath a rock back on September 11, 2001?
Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi is helping him. He claims the GOP just wants to fix it. Enzi told Politico, "I'm not trying to fight it, I'm just trying to get it right."
Give me a break. Tell it to the people who were at Ground Zero.
DET. GLEN KLEIN (RET.), 9/11 RESPONDER: Fourteen of our guys died that day. And I—we continue to see our friends dying on a day-to-day basis. I have lost at least six other friends since 9/11, guys in their 50s, 40s, and even some in their 30s.
This is not a game. OK? This is human life that we are talking about.
CAPT. PHIL RIZZO (RET.), 9/11 RESPONDER: For me, it's sad what I see here. You know, in six or seven months, that pile was cleaned up by the people behind me and hard working American citizens. And now we come down here to this political football.
JOHN FEAL, 9/11 RESPONDER: I implore Senator Coburn—and, correct me if I am wrong, the senator is a doctor, right? So, I'm not the smartest guy in this room, but a doctor who is against helping people that are sick, figure that out.
Who in this room has been to 44 funerals in the last four years?
Raise your hand. Anybody? Me.
Who is here, donated to each family of the loved ones that lost?
Raise your hand. Me.
If I could do this, why can't the Senate?
DEP. CHIEF RICHARD ALLES, UNIFORMED FIRE OFFICER ASSN.: "Cancer" is a scary word, but my biggest fear right now is that senators and Congress reps will be leaving town, and that's unconscionable and contrary to their sworn oath to the very people that elected them. I urge them to stay in town, to get the deal done, and protect these heroes that are standing behind me.
SCHULTZ: Those were 9/11 responders on Capitol Hill today.
Joining us now is New York Congressman Joe Crowley.
Congressman, our government told us back then that it was OK for the responders to go back into that area because the air was OK. What responsibility does the government bear, in your opinion, and why has this taken so long?
REP. JOSEPH CROWLEY (D), NEW YORK: I think the government has every responsibility to make sure that these victims are compensated for what they went through.
I lost my first cousin that day, Battalion Chief John Moran (ph). His last known words were, "Let me off here at Tower Two. I'm going to try to make a difference."
We in Congress now have the chance to make a difference in those victims' lives, in these people's lives. It's the holiday season. Christmas is coming.
It's not just about the victims themselves. Their children, their families need to know that their government will stand behind them when they stood behind this government back on 9/11.
SCHULTZ: And what kind of a chance do you give it at this point, with time running out on this lame-duck session, that these first responders will get what's coming to them?
CROWLEY: I believe we can still get this done. It may not happen tonight, but I believe we can get this done by tomorrow. And I'm willing to stay here for as long as we possibly have to, even through Christmas, to make it happen.
It is that important to me, it's that important to the New York delegation. And I think it is important to the country as well that we accomplish this mission.
SCHULTZ: Congressman, good to have you with us tonight.
CROWLEY: Thanks, Ed. Good to be with you.
SCHULTZ: Joe Crowley from New York, here on THE ED SHOW.
CROWLEY: Thank you.
SCHULTZ: You bet.
Coming up, the kids on "Fox & Friends" had a great time making fun of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. But I'm getting the last laugh on this one.
Gretch, Dooc (ph) all in "The Zone" next. Stay with us.
SCHULTZ: And in "Psycho Talk" tonight, the brain wizards over at "Fox & Friends" took a quick break this morning from whining about the war on Christmas to launch some cheap shots at the Obama administration's counterterrorism efforts.
Gretchen Carlson and Steve Doocy, well, they went crazy over a slip of the tongue by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
STEVE DOOCY, "FOX & FRIENDS": Janet Napolitano said this jaw-dropper
JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: And what I say to the American people is that we are—and thousands of people are working 24/7, 364 days a year to keep the American people safe.
GRETCHEN CARLSON, "FOX & FRIENDS": Oopsy daisy.
DOOCY: Three hundred and sixty-four days a year. So, the key is what day, Madam Secretary, does the Department of Homeland Security take off?
CARLSON: Well, maybe it could be Christmas Day, because that's kind of what happened last year, when that almost Christmas bomber was able to pull off a major stunt on an airplane.
SCHULTZ: First of all, Gretch, the key word there is "almost."
The Christmas bomber didn't get away with it, but righties still love to use that incident to slam the Obama administration.
And second, Gretch and Doocy are the last people who should be making fun of someone for misspeaking. In fact, for those two to mock Secretary Napolitano's slip of the tongue when most of what they say is complete nonsense is laughable "Psycho Talk."
Coming up, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is backtracking on some racist comments. Kind of a pattern here, isn't it? I don't buy it. He is playing the classic Republican race card.
Reverend Al Sharpton blasts off on the governor in just a moment in "The Battleground" story.
"Caribou Barbie" rolled into her home state for a book signing and nobody showed up. I guess they quit on her the way she quit on them.
"Rapid Fire Response" coming up in a moment.
Plus, the bully across the river, Chris Christie, meets his match;
President Obama is coming back strong; and it might really be over for Brett Favre. Can't we talk him into one more year?
You're watching THE ED SHOW on MSNBC. Stay with us.
SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW, the "Battleground" story tonight, amazing, isn't it? Civil rights groups are outraged at Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour after he praised pro-segregation white citizens' councils in the south. In an interview with "The Weekly Standard," the governor of Mississippi said this, "You have heard of the citizens councils. Up north, they think it was like the KKK. Where I come from, it was an organization of town leaders. In Yazoo City, they passed a resolution that said, anybody who started a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan would get their ass run out of town."
Well, citizens' councils were formed in the 1950s as a mainstream way to fight for racial segregation, after the Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional. Today, Barbour put out a statement to clarify those citizens councils were a bad thing. He says, "To my point, was that the town rejected the Ku Klux Klan but nobody should construe that I mean—I think the town leadership were saints either. Their vehicle, called the citizens council is totally indefensible, as it is segregation."
It was a difficult and painful era for Mississippi, the rest of the country and especially the African-Americans who were persecuted in that time. I don't buy it. Barbour is a seasoned politician from the south. I think that he knew exactly what he was saying and it was that same old republican race card, plus, he has a pattern of racial slipups. What does he really think? Where is the Republican Party on this?
Reverend Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, joining us tonight. Reverend, on the surface, your thoughts on this and do you accept his statement in the aftermath of his first comment?
REV. AL SHARPTON, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: Well, I think what we—you know, all of us in earlier years, we have said things that we regretted, this wasn't a slip of the lip. This is him making a detailed defense of the White Citizens' Council and trying to distinguish their role in the segregation era. And I think that it is something clearly he had to backtrack on. But the question is, had he not become an issue would backtrack, and whether not the strategy of throw something out there and then pull it back after you kind of wink and send a signal. This organization he is referring to was founded as a result of the brown versus board of education of the decisions against segregation. So how you can try and act as though they were something different and then come back to it three days later after the uproar, I think it is very, very troubling especially when you're looking at key figure in the midterm elections and the Republicans win this year. So, you are not talking about somebody that we don't have the right to question.
SCHULTZ: Reverend, there seems to be a pattern of behavior here in these missteps because doing confederate history month of last year, there was no mention of slavery. And of course there were racial concerns about that. And Haley Barbour said that that didn't amount to diddly. How many times—go ahead.
SHARPTON: Well, he said that didn't amount to diddly. He also said in this same interview over "The Weekly Standard" that civil rights wasn't a big problem during his time and that he remembers going to a speech of Dr. King and they were more interested in the girls. So, I mean this whole pattern here of the person that is at the helm now of this republican victory, clearly, can you imagine if President Obama had said something even remotely like that on the other side what they would be doing. So, I think that you have the absolute right to raise the questions on Barbour, particularly because there is pattern of statements here and particularly because we are not talking about the slip of the lip but we're talking about an analysis of the social order of that time that I think that is very telling, if that's his views today of what happened in the '50s.
SCHULTZ: Would something like this deep six his political aspirations when it comes to the presidency because he has talked about it?
SHARPTON: Well, I think that if it doesn't deep six it, it ought to deeply question it and I think that he needs to answer the whole pattern and not just send out a statement after this kind of detailed analysis, coupled with he said before. I think that clearly if he is going to step in the ring, he needs to have to deal with all of the blows and the insensitivity. Imagine those that in that time, I was born in '54. Imagine those in that time, my mother's generation and others that were in the back of the bus, that suffered these indignities and it's no big deal? Or the White Citizens' Council is better when they were advocating the same thing of segregation now and forever? Imagine their feelings when they hear Governor Barbour act like that's just some pooh-pooh issue that he can sidetrack.
SCHULTZ: Reverend, always a pleasure, good to have you with us tonight speaking out again.
SHARPTON: Thank you.
SCHULTZ: Thanks so much.
SHARPTON: All right.
SCHULTZ: Now, let's get some rapid fire response from our panel on these stories. I will get their take on Governor Barbour's comments about citizens' councils in the south.
The Palin media machine planned a big book signing event in Anchorage and I guess you could say it was a total bomb. I want to know if Sarah Palin's overexposed or the people she quit on just tired of her and does it affect her presidential ambitions?
And a blow for blue states. The new census data shows a shifting population, which means a lot of northern states will lose U.S. House seats in 2012, while the South and West stand to gain.
With us tonight, Karen Hunter, a journalist and publisher, and also Tony Blankley, syndicated columnist. Great to have both of you with us tonight. Let's talk first, Tony about, if I can, the census. Is this a big pick up, in your opinion for the Republicans and does it makes it tougher on President Obama to win re-election? How do you think it breaks down?
TONY BLANKLEY, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: I don't think it affects the president's re-election but it does probably give the Republicans five, six, seven extra congressional seats. This was predicted, I mean, everybody knows the general growth pattern in the country. Now, some of the growth, of course is with Hispanic or Latino Americans, so how they end up re-dividing the vote in states like Texas, we will see whether the next seat for the Republicans or not. But generally it is good news at the congressional level for the Republicans.
SCHULTZ: Arizona, Florida, picks up a couple. Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas is the big winner. They have four. Utah gets another seat and so does Washington. And the House loser, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey and New York will lose two seats. Two seats also from Ohio and Pennsylvania one. Those are some pretty strong democratic strongholds. Those are states that President Obama won, Karen. How do you see this?
KAREN HUNTER, JOURNALIST: Yes, but you know it has gone back and forth, depending on who is running, depending on what is going on at the country at the time, depending on whether jobs are taking a forefront or economics or health care. A lot of it depends on what is happening in the country at the time that these folks are running for office and I think that there's a lot of kind of homogeneous activity across the country. Doesn't matter if you are from the north or the south, it is about the issues that affect people and I agree with Tony if we have a lot of Latinos and certain areas that may also tip the scales. So, I don't think it is as, you know, big a deal as we are making it out to be.
BLANKLEY: One of the problems that will occur is that in the northern states, where largely Democrats are going to lose seats, it will create some friction as the Democratic Party has to try to figure out who is the sacrificial lamb. So, like in Massachusetts, they are going to lose one, there is some rumor that Barney Frank may not run for re-election and thereby, let the rest of his fellow Democrats not have the to fight it out but that's the kind of thing, some of a huge deal but it also create some friction in the party.
HUNTER: Well, in the state like New Jersey where we now have a republican governor, you know, it could go either way and we have gone back and forth over the years. So you know, let's see.
SCHULTZ: All right. Haley Barbour's comments, Karen Hunter, did he rectify the situation in your opinion?
HUNTER: No he didn't. Because out of the heart, you know, overflows out of your mouth. So, I mean, he is who he is and I was saying to Reverend Sharpton in the greenroom, this is man of a certain time, a certain age when a lot of folks, you know, we want to forget, Ed. And I think this is why we need to have a real dialogue in this country about race, it is not black and white. This is a time he grew up in where white supremacy and holding onto this whiteness was pointing that was just part and parcel of what this country was about.
BLANKLEY: This is really unfair to Haley. I actually read the article in "The Weekly Standard" and I have it with me, where he was asked a question, why was Yazoo City which is a city he lived in, his brother was mayor, his older brother, why was Yazoo City apparently the only municipality in Mississippi and elsewhere that did not have a problem with integration and his response specifically to that was, well, in his town, the council had opposed the Klan and he didn't say, in the article I read in "Time" magazine back in 1970, they said that they actually encouraged white people to support the public schools and not run away from them. So he was responding.
HUNTER: He's going away from the reality of history. The council were racist organizations founded on racist—you can't say it is unfair.
BLANKLEY: You are absolutely right. The white council was racist but in Yazoo City, he was asked particular question and he gave the answer which was in his particular town, at that moment, they supported the integration.
HUNTER: So, what's unfair, Tony?
BLANKLEY: What's unfair is he's saying that he was.
HUNTER: Yes or no?
BLANKLEY: He wasn't defending white councils across the south.
HUNTER: Sure, he was.
BLANKLEY: No, I read the article. Here is the article right here.
HUNTER: Yes. I read it, too. Yes.
BLANKLEY: And he was asked this specific question.
HUNTER: What are you saying is we didn't lynch people, the council didn't lynch people.
BLANKLEY: No. That's not what he said.
HUNTER: No, as brutal as the Klan. We didn't like the Klan. They were making bad for us.
BLANKLEY: You are making that up. He didn't say that, he gave a very specific answer to that question. Now, look, there's another matter. Most people, I don't think Haley was a hero or villain and most people, north and south, black and white, were not heroes or villains in the struggle. There were some of each, but when you look for instance, at Martin Luther King's campaigns, in Albany, in Birmingham, he had to struggle hard to get enough black people out to demonstrate on behalf.
SCHULTZ: All right.
HUNTER: It's a very complex issue. We need to have a discussion about it. I think mandatory reading.
SCHULTZ: You can't deny it. Tony Blankley, great to have you back with us.
BLANKLEY: Good to be back.
SCHULTZ: Karen Hunter, always a pleasure.
HUNTER: Thank you.
SCHULTZ: Thank you so much. Good to have you with us tonight.
Coming up, there are some real signs now that the people of New Jersey are standing up to their bully governor.
And Senator Arlen Specter's amazing farewell speech today, where he ripped everyone from Jim DeMint to the Supreme Court. Wait until you hear about it. And Senator Specter joins us in the playbook. Stay with us. We are right back on THE ED SHOW.
SCHULTZ: Still not too late to let us know what you think. The number to dial tonight is 1-877-ed-msnbc. Tonight's telephone survey question is, do you think the number one priority for the Republicans is to defeat President Obama in 2012? Press the number one for yes, press the number two for no. And again, the number to dial is 1-877-ed-msnbc.
SCHULTZ: And in my playbook tonight, this just in Senator Schumer of New York just said that there will be a vote tomorrow for the 9/11 first responders. That vote will take place in the Senate.
Meantime, is Senator Arlen Specter spent a 30-year career in—I think just did a fabulous job over the years but he is not going out quietly. Today, he gave his closing argument on the Senate floor and with the Senate colleagues seated around him, he railed against the destructive partisanship in Washington. His first target was the Supreme Court.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (D), PENNSYLVANIA: The Supreme Court has been eating Congress' lunch by invalidating legislation with judicial activism. Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito repudiated their confirmation testimony given under oath and provided the key votes to permit corporations and unions to secretly pay for political advertising. Thus effectively undermining the basic democratic principle of the power of one person, one vote. Chief Justice Roberts promised to call just balls and strikes and then he moved the bases.
SCHULTZ: The republican turned democrat also took aim at members of his old party for their extremism in the recent election.
SPECTER: President Reagan's big tent has frequently been abandoned by the Republican Party. Senator Lisa Murkowski lost her primary in Alaska. Congressman Mike Castle was rejected in Delaware's republican primary. Republican primary in favor of a candidate who fought in necessary to defend herself as not being a witch. Republican senators contribute to the primary defeats of Bennett, Murkowski and Castle. Eating or defeating your own is a form of sophisticated cannibalism.
SCHULTZ: Joining us now is Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter here on THE ED SHOW. Senator, I think you did the country a favor today. You had a fabulous career. You did a lot for a lot of people over 30 years in the Senate and your final good-bye on the floor, you pointed out what's got to get better. And I think you did more for the discourse than probably anybody has in recent months. I want to congratulate you on that and I appreciate you doing it, from one American to another.
SPECTER: Well, Ed, I made some tough comments but they were accurate. The compromise has become a dirty word. And politics is the article of the possible but you can't engage in constructive political activity if people are intransigent.
SCHULTZ: Why has it gotten like this, senator?
SPECTER: Well, it has gotten like this because collegiality and civility has gone. Senators of one party go into the states of another senator's party to try to defeat him and even senators try to defeat colleagues within their own party. Now, if you're trying to do some constructive work as legislators, pretty tough to do business with people who try to defeat you simultaneously. And senators have been cut off from their opportunity to offer amendments. I was very candid about both political parties.
SCHULTZ: Senator, what if they don't change? What if they don't change? What if it's more of the same?
SPECTER: Well if they don't change, Ed, then the voters have to change them. Nobody around the Senate has life tenure. We are not—we are not Supreme Court justices. Listen, Senator Murkowski showed the way. She was defeated by her own colleagues in a Senate primary. She went out and had a spectacular victory. And what did Murkowski's victory show? It showed that if you arouse the electorate, if you get them out to vote, if you get them off their dead ends, they still want to be governed from the center. So, it is up to the voters.
And I call—I sounded the clarion call today to try to awaken America's voters as to how bad it is around here, how the Supreme Court is taking over, destroying the concept of separation of powers, how we are not appropriating money, where the priorities are with NIH. How we are not engaging in constructive dialogue with our adversaries. We have earned the title of ugly Americans and how the institution of the Senate has changed enormously and I was very specific in the differences between my arrival here to the world's greatest deliberative body 30 years as ago. It just isn't so anymore, Ed.
SCHULTZ: No it isn't.
SPECTER: I can't give it all to you in a sound bite. But anybody who wants to get the detailed text, it is all in the record.
SCHULTZ: Senator, great to have you with us tonight, thanks for serving the country. I think you did the country a favor today. I appreciate it.
SPECTER: It's a great privilege. Great privilege to be a senator, even yet. Thank you.
SCHULTZ: Some final pages in my playbook tonight. The garden state is finally starting to wise up to their bully of a Governor Chris Christie. New Quinnipiac poll shows Christie's job approval rating falling to 46 percent compared to 51 percent on November 9th, this guy keeps bashing New Jersey unions and teachers, his numbers are going to continue to go right into the garbage dump.
Coming up, call him the new comeback kid. Republicans are trying to destroy him but the new numbers show that President Obama's job approval is surging. Joan Walsh from Salon .com sounds off next. Stay with us.
SCHULTZ: Finally tonight, President Obama's poll numbers are going up and he is being called the comeback kid after chalking up several big wins during this lame duck session of the Congress. Fifty five percent of Americans now think the president's policies will move the country in the correct direction. In January, that number was six points lower at 46 to 49 percent. No, that was November, not January. And more good press for the White House. PolitiFact.com has found that the Obama administration has either completed or is near completing almost 80 percent of the campaign promises.
For more, let's bring in Joan Walsh, editor at large, Salon.com.
Joan, here's the list that has passed in the lame duck session of Congress. The tax bill compromise, whether you like it or not, the unemployment extension. The repel of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The food safety bill and on the verge of S.T.A.R.T. And we told tonight by Senator Schumer that there will be a vote for the 9/11 responders tomorrow in the Senate. What do you make of all of this?
JOAN WALSH, EDITOR AT LARGE, SALON.COM: Well, I think it shows us, Ed what a smart strategy it really was for the Republicans to become the party of' no because they decided, you know, the minute President Obama was inaugurated that if they could tie him up, if they could tie him in knots and prevent him from moving forward and helping the country move forward, they would do well politically and that happened. Now that we have seen a little bit of progress, you and I did not like the tax cut compromise but we will leave that aside for the moment, you're seeing this people have more optimism and people think that the president's doing a good job because he is getting the tools, he is getting the votes to take action on things that the country believes should happen.
SCHULTZ: So, the numbers are encouraging. So what is this—does this set the table for President Obama to turn back to his base and say, look what we've done. Now it's time to fight the Republicans and get them on a level playing field, now that they are going to have the house, the majority, they are going to have to make some decision and be more politically active. What do you think?
WALSH: Well, it's going to be interesting. I continue to worry, first of all, a lot of these wins, you know, even five years ago, let alone ten years ago, these would have been easier wins. I mean, we should not still be fighting over the 9/11 responder bill. And we still haven't won that, let's hope Senator Schumer can bring it in. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the majority of military leaders say, they wanted it. S.T.A.R.T. was bipartisan. So I'm not sure that these—that these wins really portend big change in the Republican Party.
SCHULTZ: Yes.
WALSH: And you know, once they have the House, I think the president is going to be dealing with some very, very aggressive and recalcitrant people. So I'm not super optimistic.
SCHULTZ: Eighty percent of his promises from the campaign trail have become reality. Why aren't his ratings higher? Quickly, what do you think?
WALSH: Well, because I think that the Republicans have succeeded in turning him into some wildlife socialist for too many of their—of their followers of which you and I know is not true. And because they did tie him in knots and they didn't get enough done, although we got a lot done this year.
SCHULTZ: Joan, thanks so much. Joan Walsh, salon.com.
WALSH: Tonight in our phone survey, I asked, do you think the number one priority for the Republicans is to defeat President Obama in 2012? Ninety eight percent of you said yes, two percent said no that's THE ED SHOW. I'm Ed Schultz. "HARDBALL" starts right now. We'll see you tomorrow night.
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The course covers two days. The first day starts with an introduction to why HVDC is increasingly applied in power systems. HVDC LCC technology and its main applications are explained, including the controls and associated DC and AC equipment. On day two, the substation day is followed by VSC technology with a control system module for VSC and associated AC and equipment specification, including commissioning and failure investigations. The equipment technology session leads on to the case study workshop focusing on a practical project example. Coming immediately after our HVDC converter training, this technologies course completes the overview HVDC systems.
After this course participants have gained in-depth understanding of the various building blocks, types of HVDC technologies, their typical applications and the methods that can be used to ensure the quality of your HVDC projects. You will understand how HVDC converter stations are specified and designed and which developments can be expected in the future.
For more information, please refer to the brochure and registration form.
On request, DNV GL can also provide in-house training (content, location and duration can be adapted to you specific wishes). Please contact us for more information.
- Introduction to HVDC
- HVDC LCC technology
- HVDC VSC technology
- Quality assurance
- Case study workshop
- Q&A session
Target Audience:
The course is intended for employees of TSOs, engineering and construction companies and manufacturers, but can also be of interest to wind project developers, consultants, managers or others who require knowledge about the building blocks of HVDC. A background in electrical power engineering is required.
Related courses
For those interested in HVDC cables, please note that we also offer a three day HVDC power cable training course providing a holistic view and sound understanding of HVDC cables and its accessories.

subset: commoncrawl


text: I read some code recently where someone wrote their own function called secureMemset where they used a temporary volatile pointer to the memory block and executed the write operation an extra time to ensure that the data was actually assigned to the new sanitization value. The reasoning for that was that supposedly the library function memset could be completely optimized away by the compiler, depending on how you configure a compiler and whether the compiler decides that the operation was necessary. This was news to me, as I had never heard of that before. Is this also true for the std::fill and std::fill_n algorithms? I tend to prefer the C++ algorithms anyway when I write code, but I wonder if they are also vulnerable to this security problem. Would any C++ security experts out there care to answer this question and provide some more insight. If so, please advise. I read some other forums but I did not see any place where std::fill was discussed as an alternative to memset.


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Editor's Note: Research Magazine and AdvisorOne contributor Ron DeLegge published (originally on ETFGuide) a strongly worded critique of Vanguard founder John Bogle's dim view of ETFs. That letter provoked an equally robust reply from Bogle, found below. DeLegge tells AdvisorOne he plans a further response to Bogle's rebuttal.
The polemic by Ron DeLegge on ETFGuide.com (Feb. 13, 2013) is replete with serious errors about my views on ETFs. I would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight.
First, to repeat the canard that I "hate" ETFs ignores the fact that I've never used that word in this (or any other) context. Indeed, I've long since learned that it's pointless to "hate" inanimate objects. My consistent opinion about ETFs was expressed most recently in my 10th book, The Clash of the Cultures:
" . . . I remain positive on the (ETF) concept, but only when (a) the right kinds of ETFs are used; and (b) used for investment and not speculation. I'm decidedly negative about the remarkable range of foolish extremes that have characterized their implementation."
I then cite a recent essay in the London Economist that fully supports my conclusion: "Exchange-Traded Funds: A Good Idea in Danger of Going Bad—The Risks Created by Complicating a Simple Idea. . . ETFs have become a means for hedge funds to speculate on the market throughout the trading day . . . Like a hyperactive child, the finance sector can never let a good thing be . . ."
The record is clear that many of the broad-market ETFs (such as those based on the S&P 500 Index) are used—albeit, far too rarely—by individual investors with a long-term horizon. But more than one-half of all ETF assets are held by financial institutions—not individuals—who trade them with alacrity. Those realities explain why I believe (and have publicly stated) that ETFs are like the famous Purdey shotgun: great for big game hunting in Africa, but also great for suicide.
Yet Mr. DeLegge finds it convenient to ignore the huge positions that hedge funds and other large institutional investors hold in virtually all of the major ETFs—and many of the small ones. Financial institutions own 60% of all SPDRs, 59% of iShares and 41% of Vanguard ETFs.
Are these institutions long-term investors, or are they traders, hedgers and speculators? Of course we can't be sure of the exact ratio of individual and institutional trading in ETFs, but we know that annual share turnover rates (including both individual and institutional transactions) in 2012 were 2,517% for SPDRs, 761% for iShares, and 250% for Vanguard. (Among "traditional" mutual funds, the turnover rate for investors was about 32% last year; for my nickel, disgracefully excessive!) Each day, the SPDR S&P 500 alone is the most widely traded stock in the world. Its shares were turned over at a 4,688% rate in 2012—nearly 5,000 percent! I'm sure that Mr. DeLegge will be "shocked . . . shocked to know that gambling is going on" in the world of ETFs.
The Vanguard Study
While there's no way to separate the institutional transactions from the transactions by individual investors, Vanguard gives it not only a try, but in fact a statistically sound analysis that compares the "buy and hold" investors in our traditional index funds (TIFs) with those in our ETFs. Mr. DeLegge accurately presents these data, but fails abjectly to analyze them.
Even the most cursory examination of the Vanguard data clearly reflects a pattern in which our individual ETF owners trade their shares far more actively than our individual TIF owners. For example, the study finds that there are 25% fewer buy-and-hold investors in our ETFs as compared to our TIFs, 125% more short-term investors, and 140% more "hands-on-investors," defined as investors who engage in more than two "reversal" transactions per year. Our ETF owners, therefore, are significantly less likely to be long-term investors, and significantly more likely to be short-term speculators.
So, no, I haven't ignored the Vanguard study. But while I have the utmost respect for the intellectual ability and personal integrity of the authors of the study, I believe that the paper should have been far clearer in acknowledging that the study excluded institutional holders, and therefore encompassed only 60 percent of our ETF holders.
Ever the editor, I also thought that the paper glossed over the distinction between Vanguard ETFs and the ETF industry as a whole. Given Vanguard's well-established culture of long-term investing, I'm confident that Vanguard ETF owners exhibit the longest holding periods of any group of ETF investors, and that the levels of speculation in non-Vanguard ETFs are far higher, especially for those focused on narrow market sectors and high-leverage. "Don't go there" is my message.
More Negatives!
And, no, Mr. DeLegge, locking up customers' money until the end of the day is not "the real tyranny," and the ability to "buy and sell in real time" is not an improvement. It has been well established that investor behavior is counterproductive. Independent academic studies clearly show, time and again, that the more trading by investors, the worse their returns. But that behavioral flaw is not the only negative for (especially) ETF traders. All that alleged intraday liquidity for ETFs can vanish during market plunges, just when liquidity is needed most. The Economist estimates that in the 2010 Flash Crash, "60-70 percent of the trades that subsequently had to be canceled were ETFs."
Further, ETFs can trade at significant premiums or discounts from the value of their underlying securities, especially in ETFs that invest in less liquid securities, like junk bonds or real estate. These potentially wide spreads can further erode investor returns (while, admittedly, providing a bonus to those lucky enough to be on the "right" side of the trade). This is not so in TIFs, which always trade at the actual market value of the underlying securities—the fund's daily closing net asset value (NAV).
To his credit, Mr. DeLegge does not repeat yet another canard about ETFs: that they provide lower cost and greater tax efficiency than TIFs. Yes, nearly all ETFs provide lower costs and greater tax efficiency than actively managed mutual funds, but only a few provide lower costs than TIFs. Vanguard, of course, sets the low-cost standard and the tax efficiency standard. Our major TIFs and ETFs (Admiral Shares, $10,000 minimum) carry identical expense ratios (0.05% for our larger U.S. equity funds, for example). Whichever class of shares they hold, they own identical portfolios and own them at the same low cost.
'Present at the Creation'
In my 2012 book, The Clash of the Cultures: Investment vs. Speculation, I tell the complete story of the pros and cons of TIFs and ETFs. I also candidly recount the 1992 visit I had with the late Nathan Most, creator of the ETF. This fine gentleman, now deceased, showed me his plan: to enable investors in our pioneering Vanguard 500 Index Fund to trade its shares "all day long, in real time." We had a wonderful discussion, in which I identified some serious flaws in his concept (which he acknowledged, and would promptly correct). But I turned down his proposal. Vanguard 500 Index Fund, I argued, was designed for long-term investors, not short-term speculators.
Do I have any regrets about that decision? Absolutely not! Do I have any regrets about Vanguard's decision, nearly a decade later, to leap into the ETF fray? Again, absolutely not. Our legendary Gus Sauter (now retired) virtually demanded we do so, patented a better way to organize ETFs, and took a conservative approach (none of those speculative fringe ETFs). Our firm has done its best to attract long-term-oriented clients, educate investors about the folly of speculation, and leverage our low-cost standard to force our competitors to reduce their own fees—a trend that is easily observable.
I've often described the ETF as the "greatest marketing innovation" of the fund industry so far in the 21st century. I stand by that statement. After all, assets in ETFs now total $1.4 trillion, and there are 1,424 ETFs out there today tracking a mind-boggling 1,112 unique indexes (although the vast majority of those indexes are of dubious provenance), challenging investors to pick the one (or two or more) that is right for them. But I've always added this caveat: "whether it is the greatest investment innovation remains to be seen."
For institutional speculators, perhaps it is. But for individual investors, the matter is far from settled. Unfortunately, the early evidence is not encouraging. Investor returns of ETFs have lagged the actual returns of the indexes they track by an average of 13% over the past five years alone (see page 206 of The Clash of the Cultures). The jury is still out, but the results so far are not encouraging for the ETF cause.
Sorry, Mr. DeLegge. I'm not "dead wrong" about ETF investing; and let your followers decide whether or not my comments in this note are "irrational." This letter, I hope, makes it clear that it is you who are dead wrong—dead wrong about Bogle.
John C. Bogle
February 26, 2013
(published on ETFGuide.com on March 12, 2013)
Read DeLegge: Why Bogle Is Dead Wrong on ETFs on AdvisorOne.
For direct insights on the role of ETFs in client portfolios from multiple experts—including Rick Ferri, Ron Delegge, Skip Schweiss and more—we invite you to register for AdvisorOne's premiere advisorcentric Virtual ETF Summit, which debuts July 23 (and get multiple hours of CFP Board CE).


text:
Welcome to Ripple, The Mobile Environment Emulator!
Ripple is a multi-platform mobile environment emulator that is custom-tailored to mobile HTML5 application development and testing. Ripple aims to reduce the challenges being faced by mobile developers caused by today's platform fragmentation in the marketplace.
Ripple is targeted towards WebWorks, PhoneGap, and mobile web development and testing!
Ripple offers the ability to look under the hood of your mobile application, giving you full visibility into what it is doing. It also allows for the use of existing tools to perform JavaScript debugging, HTML DOM inspection, automated testing, as well as multiple device and screen resolution emulation in real-time without having to redeploy the mobile application or restart the emulator.
For relevant documentation please visit:
To view the change log, please visit:
Ripple is in BETA, so please give us your feedback so we can make it even better then it is today!


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NOVA Home Loans Named Top Company to Work For 2016
Out of 200 mortgage companies and over 10,000 loan officers surveyed across the US, NOVA® Home Loans ranked #14 for Best Companies to work for! This survey was published by the 2017 Mastermind Summit in Mortgage Executive Magazine.
Other notable awards go to Paul Volpe of the Volpe Team, as #1 Loan Officer by number of loans closed and 8th overall in volume. Another top rank went to Oliver-Whalen Team, coming in at #37 in units and #123 in volume.
The below list of Loan Officers met the criteria to be named in the Top 1% of All Loan Officers in the country (alphabetically). Of the 200 overall loan officers ranked by Mortgage Executive Magazine, 33 officers belong to NOVA® Home Loans!


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So far, Hawkeye's shown us how to connect mostly through rhythm guitar. Now, he shows us the blues scale and takes Hummin' and Strummin' in a new direction!
Taught by Hawkeye Herman in Hummin' and Strummin' seriesLength: 11:24Difficulty: 2.0 of 5
Learn how to "think what you play and play what you think" in Hawkeye Herman's series, Hummin' and Strummin'! Relax, visualize and tune into your best friend: your guitar!
Lesson 1
Hawkeye Herman introduces his new series, Hummin' and Strummin'! Learn how to "think what you play and play what you think". Relax, visualize and connect with your best friend: your guitar!Length: 5:18 Difficulty: 0.0 Members Only
Lesson 2
The first step in connecting with your guitar is learning good posture and learning how to relax. Join Hawkeye in this lecture style lesson as he discusses how to get comfortable and how to relax!Length: 16:28 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Lesson 3
After we've relaxed ourselves, it's time to get the instrument in tune. In this lesson, Hawkeye discusses how to properly use a digital tuner.Length: 8:41 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Lesson 4
Are you guilty of watching yourself play? Hawkeye explores this topic in this lecture style lesson and helps you break the habit!Length: 18:33 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Lesson 5
Being intentional with your instrument is one of the best ways to connect with it! Hawkeye discusses his philosophy on being intentional through visualization techniques.Length: 12:51 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Lesson 6
Join Hawkeye as he shows you how to connect with your instrument through various chordal formats and rhythmic variations.Length: 10:19 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Lesson 7
So far, Hawkeye's shown us how to connect mostly through rhythm guitar. Now, he shows us the blues scale and takes Hummin' and Strummin' in a new direction!Length: 11:24 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Lesson 8
You've already learned the minor pentatonic scale. Now, learn to connect through the major pentatonic scale - a great scale to know for country and folk songs!Length: 8:57 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Lesson 9
The ability to transpose is a must have when playing your favorite songs. In this lesson, Hawkeye shows us an easy method for transposing songs. This will help keep you on the same page with others during...Length: 14:46 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Lesson 10
Hawkeye wraps up his Hummin' and Strummin' series with a recap of the philosophies and concepts he's shared so far. Thanks for joining him for this series! You should now have all the tools you need to...Length: 13:31 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
About Hawkeye Herman
View Full Biography
""One of America's finest acoustic guitarists and blues educators."
Cascade Blues Association
"Herman plays with a sensitive, reflective touch that continually draws attention to his vocals, which are effectively understated and free of affectation... Herman can rock with the best of them. A solid choice for fans of traditional acoustic blues."
Living Blues Magazine
" ...plays haunting music on a mournful guitar."
Los Angeles Times
"The only thing better than hearing this live album is seeing Hawkeye Herman in the flesh. Whether adding his own spin to blues classics or offering his own songs, Herman is a one-man history of blues, noteworthy guitar player and inimitable communicator. Miss him at your peril."
Blues Access
With over 40 years of performing experience, Michael "Hawkeye" Herman personifies the range of possibilities in blues and folk music. His dynamic blues guitar playing and vocal abilities have won him a faithful following and he leads a very active touring schedule of performances at festivals, concerts, school programs and educational workshops throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. His original music has been included in video dramas and documentaries and in four hit theatrical productions.
In 2000, Hawkeye was awarded Philadelphia's Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre for best original music in a theatrical production. "Everyday Living," Hawkeye's first nationally released album from 1987, now reissued on CD, features the late blues giants Charles Brown and "Cool Papa" Sadler, and established the demand for his now long-standing festival and concert touring. His latest CDs and DVD, "Blues Alive!" (CD), "It's All Blues To Me" (CD), and "Hawkeye Live In Concert" (DVD) have been greeted with rave reviews. Hawkeye's journalistic efforts have been published in numerous national and regional blues and music-related periodicals.
In 1998 he was the recipient of the Blues Foundation's "Keeping The Blues Alive" award for achievement in education. He served on the Board of Directors of the Blues Foundation for six years. Hawkeye was inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of fame in 2004. In September of 2005, Hawkeye composed, at the request of the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), "Katrina, Oh Katrina (Hurricane Blues)," detailing the hurricane disaster on the Gulf Coast. The song was aired to over 7 million listeners on the popular "BBC Today" program. He is the cofounder of the Rogue Valley Blues Festival, Ashland, OR.
This musician has definitely carved out a spot for himself in the contemporary acoustic blues/folk field, and has earned a reputation as one of the most accomplished artists in the genre, and audiences throughout the US/Canada/Europe have come to know and appreciate Hawkeye's talent, dedication, and captivating performances.
Our acoustic guitar lessons are taught by qualified instructors with various backgrounds with the instrument.
JamPlay welcomes bassist and founding member of Godsmack, Robbie Merrill. In this short introduction lesson, Robbie showcases...Free LessonSeries Details
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Lesson 7 is all about arpeggios. Danny provides discussion and exercises designed to build your right hand skills.Free LessonSeries Details
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Greg kicks off his series telling a little about himself and introduces the C9 tuning.Free LessonSeries Details
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In this lesson, Mary Flower introduces herself and her playing style. She also discusses essential blues listening.Free LessonSeries Details
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Mike introduces himself and his series.Free LessonSeries Details
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Meet John Shannon and his approach to rhythm guitar. John discusses why he put this lesson series together and what his...Free LessonSeries Details
Nick explains how to use scales and modes effectively when soloing over a chord progression.Free LessonSeries Details
Take a new look at the fretboard and learn where to find a voicing that works. There are techniques that simplify the fretboard...Free LessonSeries Details
Evan Brewer explains everything you need to know in order to get going with your bass guitar. Topics include the parts of...Free LessonSeries Details
How do you sequence arpeggio shapes and create a more angular sound to your country playing? Andy Wood explains how he was...Free LessonSeries Details
Horace provides a short etude on how to practice connecting the different shapes of the G Major open triads. This helps you...Free LessonSeries Details
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Take a minute to compare JamPlay to other traditional and new methods of learning guitar. Our estimates for "In-Person" lessons below are based on a weekly face-to-face lesson for $40 per hour.
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|~$4 / gallon!
Mike H."I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar!"
I am 66 years young and I still got it! I would have never known this if it had not been for Jamplay! I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar! Ha! I cannot express enough how great you're website is! It is for beginners and advanced pickers! I am an advanced picker and thought I had lost it but thanks to you all, I found it again! Even though I only play by ear, I have been a member a whopping whole two weeks now and have already got Brent's country shuffle and country blues down and of course with embellishments. Thank you all for your wonderful program!
Greg J."With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace"
I'm a fifty eight year old newbie who owns a guitar which has been sitting untouched in a corner for about seven years now. Last weekend I got inspired to pick it up and finally learn how to play after watching an amazing Spanish guitarist on TV. So, here I am. I'm starting at the beginning with Steve Eulberg and I couldn't be happier (except for the sore fingers :) Some day I'm going to play like Steve! I'm self employed with a hectic schedule. With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace, rewinding and replaying the videos until I get it. This is a very enjoyable diversion from my work yet I still feel like I'm accomplishing something worthwhile. Thanks a lot, Greg
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I am commenting here to tell you and everyone at JamPlay that I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students. I truly enjoy learning to play the guitar on JamPlay.com. Yes, I said the words, ""enjoy learning."" It is by far the best deal for the money.


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While winter seems to beg for rich, warm or comforting desserts — sticky toffee pudding, brownies and apple pie — I crave lemon.
Of course, I've always been a go-against-the-grain kind of girl.
I like all those desserts, too; they have their place. But lemon tang on a dark, wintry day takes me away from the snow and cold. It can brighten a dreary afternoon, send me a shot of virtual sunshine.
Sure, we've been enjoying a lengthy bout of relatively warm weather, but I'm not easily fooled. Real spring is still weeks away and if I can trick myself into feeling like winter has already snapped and the fresh green and blossoms are quickly nearing, then I have to take advantage of that.
But which lemon dessert?
Conservatively, I have about 40 lemon-based tarts, bars, cupcakes and other concoctions saved on the online bookmarking site, Delicious. (All right, I checked. There are 41. But probably not for much longer.) All of these things have caught my eye at one time or another and I've saved them for just such wintry occasions when I need a taste of bright and tart.
The lemon bars had their appeal. The pull-apart lemon loaf looked tempting, but a bit time-consuming for me in this fit of citrus craving. But glazed lemon cakes? Oh yes, those I could handle.
The hardest part of this recipe was remembering to pull the butter out of the fridge so it could come to room temperature. Almost all of the ingredients are standard in most fridges, except, perhaps, the plain low-fat yogurt or buttermilk. In this case I went with the yogurt because it seemed like something I could more easily use up. Buttermilk is great for baking, but it's not something I tend to go through quickly.
These little cakes were light, tender and full of tang. With the addition of the thick glaze that dripped down the edges, they reached lemon perfection. Not puckeringly tart, but deliciously citrus: a little injection of sunshine on an overcast day.
I can't lie. I ate two before I even mixed the glaze.
And if that isn't enough motivation to whip up a batch, I'm not sure what is.
One last note, the original recipe calls for a "6-cup jumbo muffin tin." Since I try to avoid buying new bakeware for just one recipe, I decided to make do with what I had lying around.
My advice? Bake them in a regular muffin tin for 15 minutes (though consider starting to check them at the 10-minute mark, just in case) and eat two!
This recipe is from Everyday Food.
Glazed Lemon Cakes
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for muffin tin
- 1½ cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour, plus more for muffin tin
- 2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) low-fat buttermilk, or plain low-fat yogurt
- 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated, plus juice, plus 2 tbsp (25 mL) more lemon juice for the glaze
- 1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ cups (375 mL) confectioners' sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F (EDIT, this should be 180°C). Butter and flour a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin or 12-cup regular muffin tin. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla and lemon zest and juice of 1 lemon. Set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream butter and granulated sugar until light. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk mixture.
Divide evenly among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centre of a cake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. (Or about 15 minutes for a 12-cup muffin tin. Start checking at the 10-minute mark.) Cool 10 minutes in tin, then cool completely on a rack.
Set rack over wax or parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir confectioners' sugar with remaining lemon juice until smooth. Pour over cakes, spreading to edges with a small knife. Let set 30 minutes.
This story first appeared in the Real Life section in the Calgary Herald. For more delicious recipes, visit CalgaryHerald.com/life.


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Hide your cats, the Alien Life Form known as ALF is coming to a theater near you! Sony Pictures Animation has just landed the feature rights to the 1980s television sitcom. Along with producer Jordan Kerner (Smurfs) and show creators Tom Patchett and puppeteer Paul Fusco, the studio will develop the project as a blend of live-action and CGI. Fusco, who voiced the furry character for all 102 episodes, will lend his vocal talents to the film as well. Hit the jump for more on ALF.
Heat Vision brings us the exciting news that an ALF adaptation may be in the works for the big screen. As an alien that crash-landed to Earth and was subsequently taken in by the Tanner family, ALF (aka Gordon Shumway) was a sarcastic little furball that had an appetite for cats and a penchant for attracting trouble from government authorities. It's unfortunate that the studio appears to be bypassing the ALF puppet in place of CGI, but at least the voice will ring true. No writer or director is attached at present, so keep an eye on this one for future developments. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the show, here's the intro. Ah, memories.


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So that's what she came for. It was a shopping spree.
Celine Dion was photographed again in New York today leaving her hotel with a rack of items. And not from Topshop. I promise you not from Topshop.
It's no secret Celine loves the luxe.
Here's the thing about Celine though, as opposed to so many of her peers, those Mimi cheap asses who demand their sh-t for free.
Celine pays.
She makes a point of paying.
She doesn't like the drama that comes from accepting gifts and the exchange of f-ckery that has to be promised in order to take them home. Celine is obscenely rich. She can afford anything. And so she buys. And buys. And buys.
Am dying to rip open those garment bags and see inside. Want to so badly.
Photos from Doug Meszler/Splashnewsonline.com and IGNAT/Bauergriffinonline.com
She paid for everything
So that's what she came for. It was a shopping spree.


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As the economy has grown stronger and the hiring market has flipped from employer-centric to candidate-focused, a phenomenon usually tied to dating has begun to seep into the business world. Workplace ghosting is on the rise, but if you're considering ghosting your job, think again. This short-sighted behavior could damage your career over the long term.
Before we examine why interview ghosting and job ghosting are bad ideas, we must first answer the question, "What is ghosting a job?" The term "ghosting" originated in the dating world and refers to the practice of cutting off all communication with a person with no explanation. Interview ghosting is when an applicant accepts an interview request but doesn't show up. Job ghosting can be used to mean a new hire who never arrives for their first day of work or an established employee who simply stops coming to work. In all cases, the individual's disappearance is accompanied by zero further communication.
In romance, this behavior seems immature and callous, but in the professional realm, workplace ghosting can severely impact a company's production and profitability. Ghosting your job harms your employer, your coworkers, and your reputation.
It's a good time to be a job seeker in the US – the unemployment rate is the lowest it's been in 50 years (3.7%), there are more job openings than unemployed persons to fill them, and nearly twice as many people are quitting their jobs as being laid off. Many companies are struggling to find qualified workers and talented professionals often have multiple offers to consider.
This abundance of opportunity has made interview ghosting and job ghosting more prevalent. Who cares if I ghost this employer? I can find a better job somewhere else. That might be true now, but the economy can turn on a dime. If the job market suddenly flips again, you may find yourself out of options.
This phenomenon didn't start with millennials ghosting jobs. It's a learned behavior, and many employers who now complain about workplace ghosting exhibited a similar disregard for job seekers during the last recession. When the number of unemployed persons per job opening topped out at 6.4 in July 2009, it was accepted that recruiters and hiring managers would cut off contact with applicants. No one was talking about "ghosting" then.
Back then the term was "black hole." As in, I applied for a job and my resume must have fallen into a black hole because I haven't heard anything since. It was rude for employers to do that to applicants a decade ago and it's impolite for job seekers to return the favor today.
You may think ghosting your job won't come back to haunt you, but the world is surprisingly small, and your particular field or industry is even smaller. The recruiter who is a victim of your interview ghosting at one employer may go on to be head of HR at a company you love. Or, the coworker you leave holding the bag when ghosting your job may go on to launch the next big startup.
Predicting the future is impossible, so err on the side of courtesy and caution. Networking plays a huge role in career success, and you can't afford to dismiss contacts or burn bridges. Also, don't forget that many companies perform thorough background and reference checks, so it's in your best interest to stay on good terms with your previous employers.
At its core, workplace ghosting is just plain rude. There's nothing wrong with changing your mind about interviewing for a job, deciding you no longer want to accept a position, or choosing to move on from an employer as long as you let the other party know. Being polite and considerate only costs a few moments of your time, but keeping your professional relationships intact may help you land your dream job later.


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It's our first sighting of H7 this year, right?
Oh but why the furrowed brow? She looks grumpy having just arrived at JFK from London as Posh comes in for NY Fashion Week. God she has the cutest hairline, non?
Posh is doing a live chat today like really soon on Facebook with ELLE UK. Click here if you want to join. Have you seen the behind-the-scenes video from her ELLE UK cover shoot (where she has a serious case of LA Face)? It's worse in profile, especially because she keeps doing the duck. Also another example of how hard it is to get hair extensions right. Even Victoria Beckham's look really suspect.
PS. Katie Holmes isn't showing at NY Fashion Week this season. You think she'll turn up at Posh's runway?


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- Emerging Markets Daily
Himax: Chardan Steps Back From Bearish Calls; Well, Just A Little Bit
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Readers of this blog know that Chardan Capital Markets has been a long-time bear of Taiwan-based smartphone display manufacturer Himax Technologies (HIMX).
Ahead of tomorrow's Q2 earnings release, Chardan stepped back from some of its bearish calls. In June, Chardan said Himax's second-quarter revenue would likely disappoint, so would its third-quarter guidance.
In a note published today, analyst Jay Srivatsa now expects second-quarter revenue to be in line and third-quarter revenue guidance could be in line or shy of consensus. But Srivatsa believes Himax's bearish thesis remains intact:
Expecting inline Q2:14 revenues but EPS may be shy on lower gross margins. While the company guided for non-GAAP EPS to $0.13 - $0.15, we expect a drop in HIMX's gross margins stemming from price pressure in small panel ICs as the majority of the sales of smartphones in Q2:14 appears to be in the low end of the market. This could put non-GAAP EPS at lower end of guided range.
Expecting guidance to be inline or shy of consensus. The following data points suggest that HIMX could be conservative in guiding for Q3:14.
1. Novatek (3034.TW) guided for 9-12% sequential revenue growth for Q3:14.
2. Mediatek (2484.TW) guided for 6-11% sequential growth in Q3:14.
3. HTC (2498.TW) guided for Q3:14 revenues to decline by 30% sequentially.
4. AU Optronics (AUO) expects 5-8% growth in Q3:14 in small and medium panel shipments. and Innolux (3481.TW) is projecting a flat quarter following a strong Q2:14. We note that Innolux and AUO account for ~45% and ~10% of HIMX revenues respectively.
5. Samsung Electronics (SSNGY) following a dismal Q2:14 appears to have resumed order activity in Q3:14 leading to the October holidays in China. However, Xiomi seems to be gaining significant market share in China at Samsung's expense. We note Xiomi primarily uses panels from AU Optronics with Novatek's display drivers.
6. Large panel IC demand expected to be flat to down in Q3:14 due to capacity constraints and shift to larger screen sizes.
As such, we expect HIMX to guide to ~5% sequential growth in revenues from Q2:14 revenues putting it inline or just shy of consensus estimate of $209 million which represents 7% sequential growth from Q2:14 consensus. We also expect declining gross margin guidance that could put non-GAAP EPS of $0.08 - $0.10, inline with street consensus estimate of $0.10.
This stock has lost more than half of its market value this year.


text: DDR3 Dual channel Memory Support HDMI/DVI/VGA DirectX 10 Support ASUS Xtreme Design ASUS EPU ASUS Express Gate Shop Modal header Intel® Core™2 Extreme / Core™2 Quad / Core™2 Duo CPU support This motherboard supports Intel® LGA775 Core™ 2 Extreme / Core2 Quad/ Core2 Duo processors, which are excellent for multitasking, multimedia, and enthusiastic gamers with 1333/ 1066/ 800 MHz FSB. This motherboard also supports Intel® CPUs in the 45nm manufacturing process. Intel® G41 Chipset The Intel® G41 Express Chipset is designed to support dual-channel DDR3 1333(overclocking)/1066/800/architecture, 1333/1066/800 Front Side Bus (FSB), PCIe 1.1, and mutli-core CPUs. It especially includes Intel® Fast memory bandwidth and reduces the latency of the memory accesses. Dual channel DDR3 1333 (O.C.)/1066/800 support This motherboard supports DDR3 memory that features data transfer rates of 1333 (O.C.)/1066/800 MHz providing great performance for 3D graphics and other memory-demanding applications. Gigabit Lan The onboard LAN controller is a highly integrated Gb LAN controller. It is enhanced with an ACPI management function to provide efficient power management for advanced operating systems. SATA 3Gb/s Serial ATA3.0Gb/s is the next generation ATA specification that provides scalable performance foroday and tomorrow. With up to 300MB/s data transfer rate, Serial ATA II is faster than current Parallel ATA, while providing 100% software compatibility. ASUS EPU The ASUS EPU (Energy Processing Unit) provides total system power management by detecting current PC loadings and intelligently moderating power in real-time. It automatically provides the most appropriate power usage to save power and money. Anti-Surge Protection This special design prevents expensive devices and the motherboard from damage caused by power surges from switching power supply(PSU). Turbo Key ASUS Turbo Key allows you to turn the PC power button into an overclocking button. After you easy setup, Turbo Key boosts performances without interrupting ongoing work or games, simply through pressing the button. Express Gate Express Gate™ is an ASUS exclusive OS that provides you with quick access to the Internet and key applications before entering Windows®. EZ Flash 2 Simply update BIOS from a USB flash disk before entering the OSASUS EZ Flash 2 is a utility that allows you to update the BIOS without using an OS-based utility. ASUS Q-Fan ASUS Q-Fan technology intelligently and automatically adjusts CPU fan speeds according to system load and temperature, enabling users to work in a distraction-free environment with minimal noise. ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 is an auto-recovery tool that allows you to restore a corrupted BIOS file using the bundled support DVD or USB disk that contains the latest BIOS file. ASUS AI NET2 ASUS AI NET2 remotely detects the cable connection immediately after turning on the system, and any faulty cable connections are reported back up to 100 meters at 1 meter accuracy. C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall) When the system hangs due to overclocking failure, there is no need to open the case to clear CMOS data. Just simply restart the system, the BIOS would show the previous setting and then users can amend the CPU setting again. MyLogo 2 Personalize your system with customizable boot logoYou can convert your favorite photo into a 256-color boot logo for a more colorful and vivid image on your screen. GreenASUS The motherboard and its packaging comply with the European Union´s Restriction on the use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS). This is in line with the ASUS vision of creating environment-friendly and recyclable products and packaging to safeguard consumers´ health while minimizing the impact on the environment.


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Book News: Mich. School System Won't Ban Anne Frank's 'Pornographic' Diary
The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.
- Last week, the mother of a seventh-grader in Northville, Mich., filed a complaint seeking to keep an unexpurgated version of Anne Frank's Diary off of middle school shelves because she felt a passage describing the female genitalia was "pornographic." But a review committee has decided to keep the book in the curriculum. In a letter excerpted by the Observer & Eccentric, Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services Robert Behnke states that "the committee felt strongly that a decision to remove the use of 'Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl – The Definitive Edition' as a choice within this larger unit of study would effectively impose situational censorship by eliminating the opportunity for the deeper study afforded by this edition."
- Lisa Levy challenges Alain de Botton's How To Think More About Sex in the Los Angeles Review of Books. "There is something ersatz, if not quite fraudulent, about de Botton's entire intellectual enterprise," she writes, adding that it might be "the most boring book ever written about sex." (However, that hardly seems fair in light of Foucault's History of Sexuality, Vol. II.)
- In an op-ed for The Guardian, author Lionel Shriver denounces the media focus on her weight and fitness instead of her work in recent interviews: "The trivilialisation of my life, character and career in the print media this last month – the reduction of what I write and believe to how I work out and what I eat – is yet more evidence of a communal mental illness."
- "He left the hostel and took the stone path down to nothing good," Ben Marcus writes in a new short story in this week's New Yorker.
- Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers, an account of life in the slums of Mumbai, India, that won the National Book Award, will be adapted into a play by David Hare for London's National Theatre.
The Best Books Coming Out This Week:
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah, though it probably doesn't live up to her last novel, 2007's Half of A Yellow Sun, is still an engaging treatment of race and identity in the U.S. and Nigeria. She spoke with NPR's Scott Simon over the weekend.
- Ru Freeman's On Sal Mal Lane is a lovely portrait of Sri Lanka in the lead-up to the country's civil war.


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1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Batyphone
BATYPHONE (Ger. and Fr. Batyphon), a contrabass clarinet which was the outcome of F. W. Wieprecht's endeavour to obtain a contrabass for the reed instruments. The batyphone was made to a scale twice the size of the clarinet in C, the divisions of the chromatic scale being arranged according to acoustic principles. For convenience in stopping holes too far apart to be covered by the fingers, crank or swivel keys were used. The instrument was constructed of maple-wood, had a clarinet mouthpiece of suitable size connected by means of a cylindrical brass crook with the upper part of the tube, and a brass bell. The pitch was two octaves below the clarinet in C, the compass being the same, and thus corresponding to the modern bass tuba. The tone was pleasant and full, but not powerful enough for the contrabass register in a military band. The batyphone had besides one serious disadvantage: it could be played with facility only in its nearly related keys, G and F major. The batyphone was invented and patented in 1839 by F. W. Wieprecht, director general of all the Prussian military bands, and E. Skorra, the court instrument manufacturer of Berlin. In practice the instrument was found to be of little use, and was superseded by the bass tuba. A similar attempt was made in 1843 by Adolphe Sax, and met with a similar fate.
A batyphone bearing the name of its inventors formed part of the Snoeck collection which was acquired for Berlin's collection of ancient musical instruments at the Technische Hochschule für Musik. The description of the batyphone given above is mainly derived from a MS. treatise on instrumentation by Wieprecht, in 1909 in the possession of Herr Otto Lessmann (Berlin), and reproduced by Capt. C. R. Day, in Descriptive Catalogue of the Musical Instruments of the Royal Military Exhibition, London, 1890 (London, 1891), p. 124. (K. S.)


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SCOTT Athletes at A1
Sun Valley, ID, - The 2013 Supercross season opener at Anaheim Stadium was as exciting as it gets for race fans. SCOTT Motosports athletes began the 2013 SX season with a bang, with one finding a spot on the podium, some racers finishing respectfully, while others found the opening round to be a difficult start to the season.
450 SX Class
After ending the 2012 season with a severe crash that forced him to take the season off to heal, SCOTT goggle athlete Trey Canard looked to prove that he is still a dominant force in the 450SX class. And a dominant force he would prove to be, as Trey found himself battling for wins all night long. Trey got a great start in the first 450 heat race and quickly worked his way into the battle for the lead. Canard would finish a respecftul 2nd place, solidifying his spot in the main event.
Canard took confidence from the heat race into the main event, where he quickly found himself once again battling for the lead against fellow competitor Davi Millsaps. Canard passed Davi for the lead and looked like he might mark his return to racing with a race win but unfortunately it was not to be and a small mistake allowed Millsaps to sneak by for the win. Nevertheless Canard finished 2nd overall and proved to everyone that he was indeed back.
SCOTT goggle athlete Andrew Short had a decent opening round at A1. Short placed 4th in the second 450 heat race, which qualified him directly to the main event. Andrew rode solid and consistent to eventually finish up 6th overall. His top 10 finish sets him up nicely for the rest of the season.
SCOTT athlete Matt Lemoine headed into A1 as a rookie on the 450, having never competed professionally before in the 450SX class. Riding for the newly formed JAB Motorsports team, Matt wanted to show everyone that he had what it took to race with the big boys. Matt qualified for the main event with an 8th place finish in the second 450SX heat race. Racing against one of the most competitive classes in recent memory, Lemoine finished the main event in 15th place, proving to everyone and most importantly himself that he does in fact belong in the premier class.
250SX ClassIn the 250SX class, Team Monster Energy Pro Circuit Racing's SCOTT goggle athlete Tyla Rattray was the top SCOTT finisher with an 8th overall finish in the 15 lap main event. Rattray rode smart, allowing him to go into next week healthy and still in the points chase.
SCOTT goggle athlete Blake Baggett, fresh off a 250 Motocross Championship, had a disappointing night at A1. His night started off well with a 5th place finish in the first 250 heat race, which qualified him well for the main event. Unfortunately, in the main event, Baggett was involved in a first turn crash which put him a lap down right off the start. Blake would soldier on to eventually finish 14th overall.
New to the Monster Energy Pro Circuit race team is SCOTT goggle athlete Martin Davalos. Martin started off the night with a dominating win in the first 250 heat race, which qualified him first for the main event. Unfortunately, he was also involved in the first turn pileup and was unable to finish the race, resulting in a 20th place finish. Look for both Davalos and Baggett next weekend in Phoenix, where both riders will be determined to redeem themselves.
For more information on SCOTT products, please visit www.scott-sports.com
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SCOTT Sports, Inc., established in 1958 and located in Sun Valley, Idaho, is a leading international manufacturer of premium bike accessories/equipment, running shoes, motosport and wintersport products.


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I happened across the Ocean's Trilogy (Ocean's Eleven / Ocean's Twelve / Ocean's Thirteen) [Blu-ray]
deal for $13.99 that Amazon has today and remembered the "Pinch" in Ocean's Eleven. It also reminded me of one of the discussion points of the recent Security Jam in which I participated. So with that let's take a look at a real "Pinch."
"Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) is an instantaneous, intense energy field that can overload or disrupt at a distance numerous electrical systems and high technology microcircuits, which are especially sensitive to power surges. A large scale EMP effect can be produced by a single nuclear explosion detonated high in the atmosphere. This method is referred to as High-Altitude EMP (HEMP). A similar, smaller-scale EMP effect can be created using non-nuclear devices with powerful batteries or reactive chemicals. This method is called High Power Microwave (HPM)." - Clay Wilson (report above)
One of the discussion topics argued that an EMP was a Cyber Weapon; I completely disagree. With that said the following is a quick excerpt of my comments on that argument:
I'd like to point out that previous attacks on Cyberspace have come from the physical medium and will continue to come mainly from that environment, in a Military context, more often than not. A 500lb kinetic bomb on the power station and backup generators will create a similar effect on a targeted aspect of Cyberspace. An EMP weapon would be just as difficult to use as a Cyberspace based weapon. The boundaries of an EMP weapon's effect are not easily identifiable, the verification of the desired result difficult to determine, and when used poorly can create significant 2nd and 3rd order detrimental effects.
I would list an EMP in the Electronic Warfare (EW) arsenal with potential and probable Cyberspace effects. Justification for this would be that much of the Cyberspace focus is on Computer Network Attack, Exploitation, and Defense. An EMP weapon will have significant ramification on the infrastructure to conduct these missions but will also wreak havoc on the Electromagnetic Spectrum.
A focus on adding an EMP capability to the arsenal would foster and require the continued development and implementation of hardened electronic suites. This is extremely costly and would require reviews of both the DoD infrastructure as well as the National Critical Infrastructure to determine hardening requirements.
EMP is an EW weapon with Cyberspace effects. A Cyberspace weapon comes from within Cyberspace. Try not to blur the lines simply because Cyber is the popular term of the moment.
So what do you think?
[Report via FAS]
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